Machine for making basket-webs.



No. 707,605. Patented Aug. 26, 1902.

P. r. LINDT.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BASKET WEBS.

(Application filed Oct. 16, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

Inlarfii No. 707,605. Patented Aug. 26, I902. P'. F. LINDT.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BASKET WEBS.

(Application filed Oct. 16, 1901.)

(No Model.) 4 Sheets$heet 2.

n a 1 a "Millllllil;llllllllilllll No. 707,605. Patented Aug. 26, I902.

P. F. LINDT. MACHINE FUR MAKING BASKET WEBS. (Application filed Oct. 16,1901,) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

WIJI 555:-

j%g awzmflm Patented .26.1902. P. F. LINDT. MACHINE FOR MAKING BASKETWEBS.

(Application filed Oct. 16, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(N0 Model.)

Ym: wnavs Pzrzas cu. Puma-urns WASWNGTON, o c,

Warren Sterne PATENT OFFICE.

PHILLIP FRED. LINDT, OF ST. .IOSEPII, MICHIGAN.

MACHINE FOR MAKING BASKET-WEBS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 707,605, dated August26, 1902.

Application filed October 16, 1901. Serial No. 78,829. (No model.)

To (all whom may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILLIP FRED. LINio'r, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in St. Joseph, Berrien county, Michigan, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making BasketWVebs,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for use in making baskets of that formin which strips of material are first arranged crosswise in the form ofa web. These webs are substantially fiat and disk-like in form, thestrips of material being arranged radially and secured together at thecenter or point where they cross. In completing the baskets these flator disklike webs are applied to suitable forms and then molded orpressed into desired shape. For example, the ordinary bushel-basket isconstructed in this manner, thin strips" of wood being, as stated, firstarranged crosswise and secured together at the center, so as to form adisk-like web, which is then applied to a suitable form and thereonmolded into basket form. As stated, however, my invention relates moreparticularly to the means for constructing or forming the webs for thesebaskets.

The objects of my invention are to provide a simple and serviceablemachine for making basket-\vebs, to provide a machine capable of rapidlyand accurately arranging the strips of material, to provide a machinecapable of automatically supplying the stock to the means employed forautomatically arranging the strips of material in the form ofa web, topro-- vide a machine capable of arranging the strips of material intothe desired web form and also capable of then shifting the thus-arrangedstock or material into position to be suitably fastened together, toprovide a machine which will arrange the strips of material in thedesired and most approved manner, to provide an automatic machine ofthis character, so as to facilitate the method of making baskets and soas to reduce the cost of manufacture, and to provide an automaticmachine of this character involving certain details and features ofimprovement tending to secure accuracy and certainty in the manufactureof baskets of this character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends the stock or strips of materialcan be supported in a suitable hopper or holder, and the same can bearranged to deliver these slats or strips of material to a rotarysupport or table arranged immediately below. This rotary support ortable can be provided with suitable devices for removing the strips ofmaterial one by one from the bottom of the hopper or holder. The stripsof material thus removed from the bottom of the hopper or holder aredeposited in place upon the said rotary support or table. The devicesfor removing the strips of material from the bottom of the hop per orholder are of such character as to cause the strips of material todeposit themselves in the desired form or arrangement upon the surfaceof the rotary support or table. Then the requisite number of the saidstrips of ma-' terial have been properly deposited and arranged upon thesaid table, the latter is then preferably shifted to one side, so as topermit a fastening device to be applied for securing the strips ofmaterial together at the center. In this way the stock held by thehopper or holder is automatically released or fed to the rotary supportor table, and the rotation of the latter, as explained, causes thestrips of material to distribute or arrange themselves in the desiredmanner. In this way the strips of which the webs are composed areautomatically arranged, and by so doing the machine obviates thenecessity of arranging the strips of material by hand, which i is theusual method. This, as stated, tends to cheapen or reduce the cost ofmanufacture in baskets of this character. It also insures certaintyand'uniformity in their manufacture. The nature and ad vantages of myinvention will, however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a basketweb machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is aplan of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1,except that in this view the upper portion of the machine carrying thehopper or holder is broken away and that in the lower portion of themachine the gearing, sleeves, &c., constituting the means for rotatingthe rotary table-carrier, are shown in vertical section. Fig. 4 is anenlarged detail plan of .tWo opposite portions of one of the rotarytable-rims and also of the arm of the table-carrier which supports thistable, the view being intended to more clearly illustrate the cams ordevices which actuate the movable pins in the said table. Fig. 5 is anenlarged plan of the hopper or holder and also of the rotary support ortable below said hopper or holder. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line6 6 in Fig. 5.

As thusillustrated myinvention comprises, preferably, a hopper or holderA, adapted to hold the strips of material in position to be depositedone by one upon the rotary tables B B. t It. will be understood that thestrips of material for constructing the basket-web are preferablyarranged in a superimposed condition-that is to say, theyare preferablyarranged one upon another-and that the hopper or holder A is constructedaccordingly.

The two rotary tables B B are preferably mounted for rotation upon thelaterally-extending arms 0 O of the rotary table-support.Thistable-supportispreferably mounted to rotate about a vertical axis,the preferred arrangement being to provide the said table'support with adownwardly-extending sleeve 0, adapted to rotate upon the cylindricupright portion of the standard D. This rotary table-support is alsopreferably provided with a second pair of laterally-extending arms (3and C The upper and lower arms of the rotary table-support are adaptedto provide bearings for the vertical stems or spindles b b of the rotarytables B B.

The rotary tables B B are preferably in the form of Wheels or diskswhich are round or annular in form and which are constructed in eachcase of a rim or peripheral ring b and of a hub portion suitablyconnected with said ring or peripheral portion by spokes b It will bereadily understood that each table may, if desired, consist simply of asolid flat disk of metal or other suitable material. These rotary tablesare intended to receive the strips of material from the bottom of thehopper A, and it is for this reason that they are rotatively supportedupon the rotary table-carrier having the laterally-extending arms 0 andC". With this arrangement first one table and then the otheris presentedto the bottom of the hopper, the first table receiving the desired orrequisite number of strips of material necessary to the formation of aweb and this tablethen being swung around and replaced by the secondtable. In this way the web' is first formed on one table, and this webis then carried into position to have its cen- .tral portion providedwith a suitable fastening device for fastening together the strips ofmaterial. While the fastening device is being thus applied to the web,theother table is receiving a like number of strips of material, andwhen the completed web is removed from the first table the table-carrieris then rotated so as to bring the second web out from under the hopperand into position to be similarly treated with the fastening device. It

will be readily understood that the device for fastening together thestrips of material can roaeos be of any suitable form-such, for example,as a suitable nail, screw, or other like article. Various devices can bemounted upon the rotary tables, and they are arranged to cooperate withthe hopper or holder in properly distributing the strips of materialupon the upper surface of. each table. For example, the rim orperipheral ring of each table can be provided with upwardly-projectingpins E, arranged in position to engage the lowermost strip of materialin the hopper, and so actuated or operated as to cause the strips ofmaterial to drop or fall from the bottom of the hopper or holder andarrange themselves in the desired form upon the upper surface of thetable. In this case, and, for example, in the case of a bushel-basketweb, the strips of material are preferably arranged crosswise in radialform, so as to] form a sort of disk, and these strips of material arethen, as eX-. plained, fastened together at the center-that is to say, anail, screw, or staple is inserted through the slats at the point wherethey cross in the middle of the web. With respect to the well-known andapproved manner of distributing the strips of material said pins E arepreferably arranged as shown more clearly in Fig. 5, in which view itwill be seen that the pins are arrangedin groups of four, the first onebeing arranged at the extreme inner margin of the ring b and the seriesthen extending tangentially, so as to have the last one occur near theextreme outer edge of the ring 19 The number of pins shown in thedrawings is sufficient to remove twenty strips of material from thebottom of the hopper or holder, it being preferable to first distributeor arrange five of the strips at regular intervals upon the table, tothen deposit five more in such manner as to have them occur at pointsintermediate of those of the first five, to next deposit five more atpoints intermediate of those already laid, and to finally deposit thelast five in such manneras to fillup the remaining gaps. In this way thestrips of material are laid five ata time, so to speak, such methodbeing for the well-known purpose of securing a flatter and better formof web. These pins or fingers E are preferably so operated or actuatedthat in operation two of them engage the opposite ends of the lowermoststrip of material in the hopper or holder, it being understood that thetwo pins thus in connection engage opposite side edges of the endportions of the strips of material, so as to enable the rotary motion ofthe table to practically twist the strip of material off from the bottomof the hopper or holder-that is to say, the two fingers on the rotarysupport or table engage the lowermost strip of material in such manneras to partially rotate it about a vertical axis thereby disengaging theopposite ends of the strip of material from the lips orprojections onthe bottom of the hopper. In other words, the pin or finger at one endof the hopper pushes one way, while the pin or finger at the other endpushes in the opposite direction, which results, as stated, indisengaging the lowermost strip of material from the bottom of thehopper or holder. Thus, as explained, two of these pins or fingers areactuated at a time, thereby removing the strips of material successivelyfrom the bottom of the hopper or holder, and as these strips of materialfall from the bottom of the hopper or holder it will be seen that theydispose themselves crosswise on the table in such manner that their endportions lie between the upwardlyprojecting pins or fingers. Withrespect to the above-described preferred method of distributing thestrips of material, the pins or fingers are, as stated, arranged ingroups of four, the pins designated by 1 being actuated first-that is tosay, being actuated upon the first half-rotation of the table-the pinsdesignated by 2 being actuated upon the second half-rotation of thetable or support, the pins numbered 3 being actuated upon the thirdhalf-rotation of the table, and the pins designated by 4 being actuatedupon the fourth and final half-rotation of the table which is beingrotated beneath the hopper. In this way, as is obvious, each tablenecessarily rotates twice in order to cause, in this case, twenty of thestrips of material to be released from the bottom of the hopper orholder. Any suitable means or arrangement can be adopted for actuatingthese pins or fingers at the proper time. As a simple and effectivearrangement, the arms 0 O can be provided with sliding or adjustablecams F F, arranged in position to engage the lower ends of the pins Eduring the rotation of the tables. At this juncture it will be observedthat each pin is preferably provided with a shoulder e, and also that aspring e is ap plied to each pin in such manner as to cause it to bedepressed or lowered immediately upon leaving one of said cams. Thelower ends of these pins or fingers are, as stated, adapted to engagethe cams F F, it being observed that the two cams for each table arearranged at opposite points and in such manner that two pins located atopposite sides of the table will be actuated or forced upwardly at theproper moment for disengaging the strips of material from the bottom ofthe hopper. As stated, the table which is below the hopper is the onewhich rotates, the one which has been carried out from under the hopperbeing allowed to remain stationary, so as to permit the fastening deviceto be applied to complete the web. This rotation of the table below thehopper or holder causes the fingers or pins which such table carries tobe successivelypushed or forced upwardly, so as to cause the upper endsof the pins or fingers to engage the lowermost strip of material in thehopper or holder A. Referring more particularly to Fig. 4, it will beseen that the pins or fingers l are directly over the cams F, thatconsequently these pins are pushed or forced upwardly, and

by 4 are then actuated upon the final halfturn of the table. In respectto this particular method of operation any suitable means can beemployed for automatically shifting the cams F F, so as to engage thesepins in their proper turns; but as a matter of further improvement andas a simple and effective device these cams for actuating the pins orfingers E are shifted radially to the axis of the tables by means ofrotary cams G. These four devices for actuating the cams which raise thepins or fingers E are all substantially alike, and for this reason adescription of one will suffice for all. Referring to one of thesedevices, therefore, the cam G is mounted for rotation upon a pin orvertical stud c, which projects upwardly from the upper surface of thearm 0. The cam F is preferably mounted at the end of the sliding stripor memberf, and this sliding strip or member is preferably provided witha roll f, which it carries on its upper surface. The cam G is adapted toengage this roll f, and this cam is provided with a peripheral formationadapted to cause a shifting or sliding movement on the part of thesliding strip or inemberf. The table rotates in the direction indicatedby the arrow, and each table is provided with a couple of adjustableprojections-for example, the bolts H-which are adapted to provide a pairof oppositely-arranged strips for actuating the finger-wheels I. Thefingers of each of these said wheels are, it will be observed, four innumber. This is in respect to the fonrhalfrevolutions necessary on thepart of the table to remove the requisite number of strips of materialfrom the bottom of the hopper. In each case the finger-wheel I is rigidwith the cam G, and with this arrangement each cam is given aquarter-rotation at the end of each half-turn on the part of the table.Each time the cam G is partially rotated it shifts the cam F either outor in, the first time the shift being cam F into position to engage thepins 2. Upon the next half-rotation of the table the bolts H engage thefinger-wheels I, and the quarter-turn thereby given the cams G causesthe cams F to move inward, this time to an extent to bring them intoposition to engage the pins 3. At the end of the third half-rotation ofthe table the cams G are again partially rotated, but this time in suchmanner as to cause the cams F to move totheir extreme outwardposition-that is to say, into position to engage the pins or fingers 4.In this way in such direction as to bring the the rotation of eachtable'is utilized for the purpose of causing the pins or fingers toautomatically rise and perform their function of removing the strips ofmaterial from the bottom ofthe hopper. In each case it is preferablethat the sliding strip or member which carries the cam for actuating thepins or fingersfor example, the sliding strip or member fbe heldnormally back by means of a spring J. These springs, it will beobserved, operate in each case to'hold the rollsfor example, the rollfin engagement with the rotary cam G. In this way the sliding stripswhich carry the cams for raising the pins or fingers E are movedoutwardly by the cams and are pulled back or moved toward the table-axesby the coil-springs J. 'The said sliding strips or members which carrythe cams for raising the pins E can be provided with slots,substantially as shown in Fig. 4, through which extend the pins or studson which the rotary cams are mounted; These slots, it will beunderstood, permit the desired shift or sliding movement on the part ofthe members which carrythe cams for raising the pins E.

It is obvious that any suitable device or arrangement of gearing can beadopted for ro-' tating the tables and also for intermittingly turningthe table-carrier. For example, the lower portion of the table-carriersleeve 0 can be provided with a loose gear K on its under side, toprovide a clutch member, and this sleeve can also be provided with alower clutch member K, which is keyed or arranged upon a spline. Thetable-spindles b and b can have a shifting or sliding connection withthe upwardly-projecting sleeves L and L, it being observed that thesesleeves have their bearings in the ends of the arms C and also thatthese sleeves have their lower ends provided with upper clutchmembersll. Coilspringssuch, for example, as shownare preferably arrangedbetween the upper ends of the sleeves L L and the under sides of thearms 0 0. As stated, the connection between the sleeves LL and the stemsor spindles b b is preferably such as to permit relative end movementbetween the stems and sleeves, but not relative rotation. In this waythe stems and sleeves rotate in unison; but the sleeves are capable ofupward shift relatively to the stems or spindles, the lower ends ofwhich they engage and inclose. The upper clutch members Z l are adaptedto alternately engage the lower clutch member P. This lower clutchmember I is, it will be observed, in the nature of a pinion or gearwheel, adapted to engage the relatively larger gearwheel K. Power isapplied to the lower clutch member or gear Z from a belt or pulley wheelZ through the medium of the bevelgearing Z With this arrangement thegears l and K are rotating constantly, and in this way each table orrotary support is rotated as soon as its allotted upper clutch memberlor Z is brought into engagement with the lower clutch member Z Forexample, in the drawings the table B is rotated by reason of itsallotted clutch member Z being in engagement with the lower clutchmember Z It will also be seen that in this case the table B isstationary-that is to say, it is not rotating, but is being heldstationary in order to permit the fastening device to be applied to thecenter of the web. The gear K is provided on its under side with acam-track It and on its upper side with a roll it. The lower clutchmember K is operated by a lever K carrying at its end a roll Inoperation the roll 70 engages and lifts one of the upper clutch membersZ or Z, according to which one of these clutch members is in engagementwith the lower clutch member Z and at the same time that one of therotary tables is thus disengaged from the lower clutch member Z the camG engages the roll 7.4 thereby depressing the lever K and in this waycausing the lower clutch member K to rise and engage the clutch teeth orjaws on the under side of the gear-wheel K. In this way each time atable rotates forits last half-turn it is automatically disconnectedfrom the power and the power is at the same time automatically connectedwith the sleeve 0 through the medium of the clutch member K, andthetable-carrier then rotates for a half-turn, so as to carry the tablewhich was rotating to the opposite side of the machine and so as tosimultaneously therewith bring the other table into position to receivethe next set of strips from the bottom of the hopper A. In other words,the table which is below the hopper rotates twice, then stops, and thetable-carrier then rotates for half a turn, so as to interchange the twotables. When the roll it rides under one of the upper clutch members-forexample, the clutch member Z, as shown in Fig. 3-it will be seen thatthis clutch member then rides around to the opposite side of the machineresting on this roll, and that when it arrives at such point therotation of the table-carrier is then stopped, so as to allow the otherclutch member to settle into place on the lower clutch member Z The gearK continues to rotate for another halfturn, and at the end of thishalf-turn on the part of the gear K the table last brought under thehopper has com pleted its last half-rotation, and the power is thendisconnected from the table and reconnected with the table-carrier, soas to again rotate the table-carrier and reverse the positions of thetwo tables. The pins or fingers, it will be observed, are practicallyarranged in a plurality of sets or series, and the shifting-cams actuateor operate these dilferent sets or series in succession. In this way arotation of the table or support will cause one set or series of thefingers to actuate, thereby depositing and arranging the first set ofslats or strips of material, and the successive rotations of the tablein a similar manner operate the successive sets or series of thefingers, thereby effecting a similar disposition or arrangement ol' thesuccessive sets of basket-slats. that the principle of the machine involves the holding of the slats orstrips of material in the form of astack and that means are then provided for eflecting a relative circularmotion around the transverse center of the stack, so as to enable thepins or fingers or other like devices or instrumentalities toautomatically and successively restrain one or more slats in such stackin successive series. In other words, each slat is given a certainamount of movement relative to the balance of the slats and is thenrestrained in such movement with respect to the slats or strips ofmaterial which have already been applied and arranged in partial webform. that all that is necessary is to place the strips of material inthe hopper and to then start the machine. The tables are broughtsuccessively to meet the hopper, the strips of ma terial areautomatically laid upon the upper surface of the tables, and upon thecompletion of each web the positions of the two tables are automaticallyreversed, so as to bring the completed web into position to receive itsfastening device.

The machine thus constructed and operated is capable of rapid andefficient work and is in this Way capable of greatly reducing the costof certain kinds of baskets. It is obvious, however, that theconstruction and various features of improvement of my invention arecapable of more or less modification without departing from the spiritof my invent-ion. For this reason I do not limit myself to the exactconstruction shown and described. Broadly considered, my inventioncontemplates the combination of automatic feeding and distributingdevices for automatically depositing and arranging strips of material insuitable web form.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a machine for use in makingbaskets, the combination of a hopper or holder in which strips ofmaterial are held flatwise one upon another, and a rotary membercarrying automatically-actuated pins'or fingers adapted and arranged forengaging and successively releasing said strips of material anddistributing or arranging the same in suitable web form upon the top ofsaid rotary member, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for making basket-webs, the combination of means forproperly holding the strips of material, rotary means for distributingand arranging the strips of material in suitable web form, saiddistributing means comprising a plurality of automatically-actuated pinsor fingers adapted and arranged to engage and successively release thesaid strips of material, the relative movement between the said pins orfingers and the means for supporting the strips of material causing eachreleased strip of material to stand at an angle with reference to theremaining or unreleased strips, and means for Furthermore, it will beseen In this Way it will be seen causing the desired rotary movement onthe part of said distributing means, the axis of such rotary movementextending transversely through the center of the strips of material,substantially as described.

An automatic machine for distributing and arranging suitable strips ofmaterial in suitable Web form, comprising a holder adapted to hold thestrips of material in a superimposed condition, or one on top of theother, a plurality of automatically-actuated pins or fingers adapted andarranged in position to engage and successively arrange or position thesaid strips of material, and pivotal connections whereby to permitrelative rotary movement between the said holder and the said pins orfingers, said rotary movement being about an axis extending transverselythrough the stack of superimposed slats or strips of material, saidstrips of material when released from the holder being arrangedcrosswise to provide a basket-web ot' substantially disk form,substantially as described.

4. In a machine for making basket-webs, the combination of a holder forholding the strips of material, a rotary table adapted to receive thesaid strips of material, pins or fingers mounted upon said rotary table,and a cam for automatically engaging and operating said pins or fingers,so as to automatically remove the strips of material from the bottom ofsaid holder, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for making basket-webs,

the combination of a holder for holding the strips of material, a rotarytable adapted to receive the said strips of material, pins or fingersprojecting upwardly from said table, means for actuating said pins, saidactuating means being adapted to cause two of said pins or fingers torise at a time, so as to engage and remove the lowermost strip ofmaterial from the said holder, and suitable gearing for rotating saidtable, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for making basket-webs, the combination of a suitablehopper orholder for holding the strips of material, a rotary tableadapted and arranged to rotate about a vertical axis below said hopperor holder, upwardlyprojecting pins or fingers suitably mounted forvertical reciprocation in the rim or peripheral portion of said table,springs for keeping said pins normally depressed, cams for automaticallyraising said pins, said cams being adapted and arranged to raise two ofsaid pins at a time, the upper ends of the pins thus actuated or raisedengaging the lowermost strip of material in said hopper or holder,gearing for rotating said table, and a clutch for automaticallydisconnecting the driving power from said table, substantially asdescribed.

7. A machine for making basket-webs comprising a plurality of rotarytables, suitable means for holding the strips of material in asuperimposed condition, means for rotating one table at a time, eachtable being provided with upwardly-projecting pins or fingers, said pinsbeing adapted to engage the lowermost strip of material, a c rrier forintermittingly and successively bringing said tables into position toreceive a suitable number of said strips of material, suitable cams oractuating devices for actuating said pins or fingers, the rotation ofeither table causing the pins or fingers of such table to rise two at atime, so as to release the lowermost strip of material and deposit thesame upon the surface of the carried by each rotary table, cams oractuating devices adapted to engage the lower ends of said pins, theupper ends of said pins being adapted toengage the lowermost strip ofmaterialin said hopper or holder, stems or spindles on said tables,clutch members carried by said stems or spindles, a power deviceprovided with a constantly-rotating clutch member, the clutch membercarried by the table stems or spindles being adapted to alternatelyengage the said lower clutch member which is constantlyrotating,suitable gearing between said power device and saidtablecarrier, a suitable clutch device between said gearing and saidtablefcarrier, and means for automatically operatingsaid clutch, so asto automatically disconnect the power from the rotating table and at thesame time automatically connect the power with the rotary table carrier,so as to stop the rotation of the table and start the rotation of thetablecarrier, the two tables thereby being interchanged, substantiallyas described.

9. In a machine for making basket-webs, the combination of means forsuitably holding the strips of material, a rotary table adapted toreceive the said strips of material, upwardly-projecting pins or fingerscarried by said table, suitable cams for engaging the lower ends of saidpins, said cams being shiftable toward and away from the center of saidtable, so as to prevent the said pins from being engaged in directsuccession, substantially as described.

10. In a machine for making basket-webs, the combination of suitablemeans for holding the strips of material, a rotary table adapted toreceive said strips of material, suitable pins or fingers projectingupwardly from said table, said pins or fingers being arranged in aplurality of sets or series, cams for engaging the lower ends of saidpins or fingers, said cams causing the fingers'to move upwardly andengage the lowermost strips of material,

rotary cams shifting said cams which actuate the said pins or fingers,such shifting or moving of the finger-actuating cams causing the latterto engage and operate said sets or series of fingers in succession, andmeans whereby the rotation of said table will cause the said rotary camsto turn or rotate to the desired extent, substantially as described.

11. In a machine for making basket-webs, the combination of a suitableholder or hopper for holding the strips of material, a rotary tableadapted to receive said strips of material, suitable pins or fingersprojecting upwardly from said table, said pins or fingers being arrangedin a plurality of sets or series and having their upper ends adapted toengage the lowermost strips of material, actuating devices for forcingsaid pins upward, rotary cams for shifting said actuating devices in adirection toward and away from the center of said table, so as to causethe different sets or series of fingers to be operated in'succession,finger-wheels rigid with said rotary cams, and projections on said tableadapted to engage the fingers of said fingerwheels, so as to rotate saidcams, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

12. In a machine for making baskets, the combination of a holder and ofa plurality of pins or fingers, the said holder and the said pins orfingers being constructed and arranged for relative movement, so as tocause the strips of material to be deposited or arranged in the desiredmanner, and the said pins or fingers being arranged in a plurality ofsets or series, and means for operating the sets in succession,substantially as described.

13. In a machine for making basket-webs, the combination of suitablemeans for holding strips of material, rotary means for causing the saidstrips of material to arrange themselves in suitable, web form, and aplurality of pins or fingers adapted and arranged to engage anddetermine the relative positions of the said strips of material, saidpins or fingers being arranged in a plurality of sets or series, andmeans for operating the different sets or series successively,substantially as described.

14:. In a machine for making basketwebs, the combination of a holder forholding the strips of a material in a superimposed condi tion, aplurality of suitably-actuated pins or fingers for engaging anddetermining the relative positions of the strips of material, said pinsor fingers being arranged in a plurality of sets or series, and a rotarymember for causing relative movement between the said holder and thesaid pins or fingers, so as to cause the said strips of material toarrange themselves in suitable web form, the said rotary means beingadapted to rotate a number of times for the purpose of operating thedifierent sets or series of fingers in succession, thereby efiecting thedesired arrangement of the strips of material forming the web,substantially as described.

15. In a machine for making basket-Webs, a rotary table adapted andarranged to receive and hold the strips of material and provided withmeans for determining the relative positions of said strips, and ahopper arranged above said table and adapted to hold a stack or bundleof strips, the strips thus held in the hopperbeing successively releasedtherefrom by the said means for determining the relative positions ofthe strips, substantially as described.

16. In a machine for making basket-webs, the combination of a holderforsuitably holding the strips of material, rotary means for causing thestrips of materialto arrange themselves in suitable web form, and aseries of devices for placingthe strips and determining the properrelative positions of thelatter, said rotary means being adapted andarranged for a plurality of rotations in effecting the desiredarrangement or disposition of the strips of material forming the websubstantially as described.

17. A machine for forming; webs for baskets, consisting of a frame,means for supporting a stack of staves and for impartinga relativecircular motion around the transverse center of the stack to one or morestavcs in such stack, and means for automatically successivelyrestraining one or more staves in such stack in successive series.

18. In a machine for making basket-Webs in which the slats or strips ofmaterial are arranged crosswise in the form of aweb or disk, thecombination of a member adapted to hold the slats or strips of materialin a superimposed or one-on-top-of-the-other condition,the slats orstrips of material in this condition being parallel and in the form of astack, automatically-actuated devices adapted to engage said slats orstrips of material and successively release .them from the position inwhich they are held by the said member, and pivotal connections wherebyto permit of a relative rotary movement between said memher and saidautomatically-actuated devices for engaging the slats or strips ofmaterial, such rotary movement being about an axis extendingtransversely through the stack 01' bundle of slats or strips ofmaterial.

Signed by meat St. Joseph, Berrien county, Michigan, this 28th day ofSeptember, 1901..

PHILLIP FRED. LIND'I.

\Vitnesses:

JonN EKLUND, JULIUS .T. MILLER.

